Zach Sabdo sets record in Havelock victory

Saturday

Havelock quarterback Zach Sabdo knew his older brother Travis had the school record for passing yards in a game.

He didn’t know after his performance against Greenville Rose Friday night that he broke that record.

Zach Sabdo threw for a record 466 yards and five touchdowns as the Rams beat the Rampants 54-0 at Havelock High.

“I had no idea,” Sabdo said of the record.

He completed his first 10 passes and was 18 of 20 on the night. Most of the passes came on quick screens and shovel passes, but he was accurate down the field as well, including on a 35-yard bomb to Welton Spottsville that gave Havelock an early first-quarter lead.

“That’s what the offense is based off of,” he said. “We have the quick, fast stuff and we get the ball to the playmakers. That’s what my job is, and we did a good job of that.”

Justin Hoover had six catches for 123 yards, including a 76-yard touchdown on a slant route on the first play of the third quarter, giving the Rams a 40-0 lead. Two of Cameron Hutchinson’s three catches went for touchdowns, including an 88-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter. Anthony Harris also had a touchdown catch.

“Whenever I can throw the ball to them, I feel confident we can get into the end zone every time,” Sabdo said of his receivers and backs. “I just love throwing the ball to those guys.”

Sabdo surpassed his older brother’s passing mark of 428 yards set in 2014 against White Oak.

Along with an offense that produced 647 yards, the Rams pitched a shutout defensively and got a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown from Jomar Stewart.

“You want to come out and play great defense and you want to be able to establish the run, and you want to be good with the football. You don’t want any turnovers, and we did that,” Havelock coach Caleb King said.

The Rams are next scheduled to host Rocky Mount in a rematch of the eastern 3A championship game from last year that the Gryphons won in triple overtime. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Havelock High.